Hornady VS Gold Dot?

This is a discussion on Hornady VS Gold Dot? within the Defensive Ammunition & Ballistics forums, part of the Defensive Carry Discussions category; I've been keeping Hornady Critical Defense rounds in my mags for SD (9mm and .45)--should I use Speer Gold Dot instead?...

The one thing I dont like about the Hornady Critical Defense rounds is that they are light for caliber. In order to get the heavier rounds for a specific caliber you have to use the XTP or Tap rounds. I prefer Federal HST or Gold Dot, and use the heavier grain bullets, 124+P, 147 for 9mm , 180 gr in 40 and 230 gr in 45. Just my personal preferences.

I have my guns filled with Hornady CD. I like them because they have low recoil and feel identical to my practice rounds. This makes me more confident that I will hit what I want to hit when it counts. In the end, the Gold Dot is a proven round in real life, so really, shoot what you like. Both are good enough to do that job.

With the design of modern JHP ammunition I dont think you can go wrong with any of the major manufacturers. I think it is a more a matter of what you are comfortable with and shoot well, what functions flawlessly in your particular gun and maybe to a lesser extent brand loyalty. Boomer is right, they will all get the job done with good shot placement.

@ AZ hawk you seem rather confident that the Speer is superior to the HCD so much in fact that the only word you choose to use is "Yes" and the gave us a link to another post. Does this mean that you would also be as confident standing at the business of any gun loaded with the HCD? I do not know about you but I for one would not want to get shot by ANY ROUND IN ANY CALIBER IN ANY GR FROM ANY MANUFACTURE. I my self USED to carry the HCD. Only reason I do not now is that I felt it would be better an support my local economy and swapped to the Cor Bon 125 gr +p for my 9mm. Cor Bon is only 40 miles from where I live. While I will not refute some evidence out there that may support a 115gr being a little on the light side I still felt more then comfortable carrying the 115 HCD in my guns.

@ AZ hawk you seem rather confident that the Speer is superior to the HCD so much in fact that the only word you choose to use is "Yes" and the gave us a link to another post. Does this mean that you would also be as confident standing at the business of any gun loaded with the HCD? I do not know about you but I for one would not want to get shot by ANY ROUND IN ANY CALIBER IN ANY GR FROM ANY MANUFACTURE. I my self USED to carry the HCD. Only reason I do not now is that I felt it would be better an support my local economy and swapped to the Cor Bon 125 gr +p for my 9mm. Cor Bon is only 40 miles from where I live. While I will not refute some evidence out there that may support a 115gr being a little on the light side I still felt more then comfortable carrying the 115 HCD in my guns.

According to Steve Johnson, Hornady Marketing Communications Manager, the Critical Defense line of handgun ammunition:

"...is not designed to shoot through glass, is not designed to shoot through a car door, and is not designed to shoot through a wall. If you have to shoot through something like that in a personal defense situation you're probably going to jail."

-- NRA's American Guardian TV

Thus if you carry a concealed handgun for personal defense and need to shoot from the inside of your car, through glass or sheetmetal, then you cannot rely on Hornady Critical Defense handgun ammo to perform. If you're stopped at the side of the road changing a flat tire and you're attacked, you cannot rely on Hornady Critical Defense handgun ammo to shoot through glass and sheetmetal, if that's what it takes to stop the attack.

Ironically at least one TV commercial for Hornady Critical Defense handgun ammo depicts a couple stopped on the side of a road, in a remote location, changing out a flat tire. In a scenario such as this you might have to shoot through a raised trunk lid, glass hatchback, raised engine hood, or through the sheetmetal of an open car door.

If you use Hornady Critical Defense handgun ammo for home defense you cannot rely on it to perform if you have shoot through concealment, such as the corner of a wall or through sheetrock and 2x4 studs near a door jam, to hit the center mass of a violent home intruder who's partially concealed, if that's what it takes to stop the attack.

Hornady Critical Defense handgun ammo is not designed to shoot through anything other than clothing. It's not tested against anything other than bare gelatin and clothing. Performance against commonly encountered light barrier materials is untested and unknown. Therefore if your self-defense requirements include the capability to shoot through commonly encountered light barrier materials then Hornady Critical Defense handgun ammo is not your best choice.

The human target presents the same challenges to private citizens as it does to law enforcement. Is a law enforcement officer more likely to have to shoot through glass, sheetmetal or the corner of a wall than a private citzen? Probably. But because the odds are probably greater for law enforcement to encounter these kinds of situations does not mean that the odds are zero for a private citizen.

Personal defense ammo designed especially for "private citizens" is a niche market. Perhaps it's somehow more morally/socially appealing for a private citizen to use handgun ammunition with less terminal performance capability compared to common law enforcement handgun ammunition?

If you're looking for specific advice about what handgun ammunition to choose for self-defense then I suggest you consider the loads that have been tested and found to provide outstanding terminal performance which are listed in the thread Service Pistol Duty and Self-Defense Loads posted by Dr. Gary K. Roberts ("DocGKR") at M4Carbine.net Forums.

ALL valid points however I never once said that there was a billion reasons for not carrying the HCD line up. Also I never stated it was the PERFECT round either. I am sure that if we all took the time we could all find reports of ANY manufactures defense round failing at doing something. I have no counter points to anything stated by the information you posted and do appreciate the further incite in to the HCD line up. However I still feel that all things considered the HCD line up is a decent round but it is IMO a specialty round designed as stated to penetrate clothing and still expand. Shortly I will be FORCED to swap out my Cor Bon to Speer. Dam OCD. My store does not carry nor offer the Cor Bor .357 Sig ammo. Being the slight bit OCD that I am all my hand guns will carry the same company of ammo in them. I still myself would not want to be shot by anything I have carried currently carry or will carry.

ALL valid points however I never once said that there was a billion reasons for not carrying the HCD line up. Also I never stated it was the PERFECT round either. I am sure that if we all took the time we could all find reports of ANY manufactures defense round failing at doing something. I have no counter points to anything stated by the information you posted and do appreciate the further incite in to the HCD line up. However I still feel that all things considered the HCD line up is a decent round but it is IMO a specialty round designed as stated to penetrate clothing and still expand. Shortly I will be FORCED to swap out my Cor Bon to Speer. Dam OCD. My store does not carry nor offer the Cor Bor .357 Sig ammo. Being the slight bit OCD that I am all my hand guns will carry the same company of ammo in them. I still myself would not want to be shot by anything I have carried currently carry or will carry.

ALL valid points however I never once said that there was a billion reasons for not carrying the HCD line up. Also I never stated it was the PERFECT round either. I am sure that if we all took the time we could all find reports of ANY manufactures defense round failing at doing something. I have no counter points to anything stated by the information you posted and do appreciate the further incite in to the HCD line up. However I still feel that all things considered the HCD line up is a decent round but it is IMO a specialty round designed as stated to penetrate clothing and still expand. Shortly I will be FORCED to swap out my Cor Bon to Speer. Dam OCD. My store does not carry nor offer the Cor Bor .357 Sig ammo. Being the slight bit OCD that I am all my hand guns will carry the same company of ammo in them. I still myself would not want to be shot by anything I have carried currently carry or will carry.

Except it doesn't always expand, esepcially when shot through clothing, no matter what Hornady's marketroids try and feed you.

Most JHP's are a far better choice than gimmick rounds like Hornady CD...because all rounds are NOT created equal.

My opinion; I will only use heavy, true tested, conventional HP's for serious applications. If, big if, I were concerned with over penetration, which I am not, I will choose a lighter conventional HP of the same manufacturer.

I like the Hornady XTP. I know for a fact that sucker works well in flesh.
If and when, I get around to loading up some SWC bullets for my autos, and they prove reliable, I would just as well use those.